Thailand Live Wednesday 9 May 2012

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Thailand Live Wednesday 9 May 2012

News, Bits and Tweets

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Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

For breaking news, national, regional and international news updates on a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those who wish to follow the news can find it here...

Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

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Related topic: Thailand Live Tuesday 8 May 2012

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HISTORIC VISIT

HM the King to visit Ayutthaya

Monument of Queen Srisuriyothai of the Ayutthaya.

Full story:

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Bangkok's expansion of Skytrain contract violates the JVC Act : Govt spokesman

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration could face criminal punishment for expanding the Skytrain concession without following proper procedures, as it contravenes the Public-Private Joint Venture Act, deputy government spokesman Anusorn Eiamsa-ard said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/553602-bangkoks-expansion-of-skytrain-contract-violates-the-jvc-act-govt-spokesman/

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THAI-MYANMAR TIES

Chalerm urges Myanmar govt to clear up DKBA drug ring

BANGKOK: - The ongoing war of words between those responsible for Thai anti-narcotics efforts and the senior leader of an armed Karen minority group would come to an end if the Myanmar authorities got involved and took care of the matter.

Full story:

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Death of 'Uncle SMS' puts govt in focus

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Ruling camp under pressure to change its hands-off stance over lese majeste law

BANGKOK: -- Lese majeste detainee Amphon "Akong" Tangnoppakul, known as "Uncle SMS", succumbed to cancer at the Bangkok Remand Prison Hospital yesterday morning.

Amphon's wife, Rosmalin Tangnoppakul, was told that the prisoner - one of Thailand's most controversial lese majeste convicts - was still able to take his medication early yesterday but then he suddenly died around 9.10am.

His death will most likely rekindle controversy about the lese majete law, which led to his conviction and a staggering 20-year prison term.

While the death has politically embarrassed the Democrat Party, under whose reign the charges were brought against Amphon, Yingluck Shinawatra's government, which has vowed never to support any moves to amend the law, might face pressure from the red shirts.

However, with MPs in both government and opposition blocs not likely to support or sponsor any amendments to the lese majeste law, Amphon's death might not make any serious difference to the momentum of the campaign against it.

Grief-stricken Rosmalin broke down in tears as she told the press outside the prison hospital that she did not know what to say.

"I can't take in any information," she said.

Witnesses said Amphon's body appeared to be very bloated in the stomach area, suggesting a possible liver complication. The body was taken to the Forensic Institute, where it was to undergo an autopsy today with a red-shirt medical doctor and a relative in the room as witnesses.

Amphon was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending four text messages deemed defamatory to Her Majesty the Queen to then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's personal secretary.

The sentence was handed down late last year and the case won much publicity both locally and overseas, especially since it was believed that the mobile-phone number could have been stolen and Amphon, 60 at the time, might not in fact have sent those messages.

About 30 supporters were present at the prison hospital yesterday, including Assistant Professor Puangthong Pawakapan of Chula-longkorn University's political science faculty.

The professor is a member of the Public Campaign Committee pushing for amendments to the lese majeste law.

"This is the biggest tragedy of the law. The more it is enforced, the less merciful it becomes. He wouldn't have died if he had been granted bail and given the opportunity to get proper medical care," Puangthong said.

Handing down harsh punishment to offenders would only create a climate of fear.

The maximum penalty for a single lese majeste offence is 15 years in prison.

Suda Rangkupan, a key member of the red-shirt movement and a linguistics lecturer at Chulalong-korn University, was also at the hospital. Tearfully crying out that the law is "unjust", Suda said Amphon was not provided adequate medical care.

"End the ordeals now," she said, referring to the 11 other people detained under the lese majeste law.

Suda also led a group of people opposed to the law to the Criminal Court yesterday evening to mourn Amphon's death and call on the government to take immediate action in amending the controversial law and free prisoners of conscience.

Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, one of Amphon's three defence lawyers, confirmed that the late prisoner had recently decided not to take the case to the Appeals Court because senior officials from the Corrections Department had told them that it might just be better to seek a royal pardon.

"Those who think we have not done enough have the right to their belief. We regret [his death] but we insist that we did our best. Everyone in society is partly responsible for this, including the justice system," Poonsuk said.

Rosmalin lit one incense stick 2.20pm to urge Amphon's spirit to follow his body as it was carried out in a rescue truck to the Forensic Institute.

"Akong come, Akong come," she called out as the truck carrying her ex-husband's body passed by her.

The body of Amphon will be borne today from the Institute of Forensic Medicine Police General, then on to the Justice Ministry, Government House, and Parliament House. A group of red shirts opposed to the lese mejeste law announced the route yesterday. The body will undergo the bathing rite in front of the Criminal Court on Ratchada-phisek Road.

-- The Nation 2012-05-09

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Hazardous plants in Thailand: 3-monthly inspection planned

After the blast at Bangkok Synthetics on Saturday, the Industry Ministry is thinking about the establishment of an ad hoc centre to analyse industrial disasters. The centre would have to provide correct information to villagers living near factories wh

3,000 plants in line for more frequent checks; chemical facilities main focus

BANGKOK: -- The Industry Ministry will tighten the regulations on hazardous plants, particularly those involved with chemicals, by mandating about 3,000 factories to be inspected every three months for risky operations.

Full story:

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FATAL EXPLOSION

Bangkok Synthetics Explosion: IEAT to check 65 hazardous factories in Map Ta Phut

BANGKOK: -- The massive explosion at the factory of a Bangkok Synthetics subsidiary that killed 11 and injured another 129 people on Saturday has prompted the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) to examine 65 hazardous factories in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate.

Full story:

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STOPPAGE TIME

Yingluck's flexibility complicates return of the 111: Thai opinion

Few can be more casually philosophical about old waves and new waves than Suwat Liptapanlop.

BANGKOK: -- "People used to point at my son and say, 'Hey, that's Suwat's boy,'" he told a group of reporters. "Now, people are pointing at me and saying, 'Hey, you know who that is? He's Luang's father.'"

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Repeating the same old mantra in the deep South

The southern insurgency will not end until the Thai authorities begin to understand the true grievances of the Malay-Muslim people of the region

BANGKOK: -- Almost immediately after the Yingluck Shinawatra government came into power nearly a year ago, there was talk of placing the multi-agency Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) and the Army-dominated Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) under one umbrella that would have a civilian at its head.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....thai-editorial/

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Nigerian arrested with 2,85 kgs of 'ice' drug

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A Nigerian was arrested Tuesday at the Suvarnabhumi airport for allegedly smuggling in 2.85 kilos of 'ice' or crystal methamphetamine hydrochoride powder.

Police said Ogafor Harrison claimed that he did not own the drug found in his luggage and was carrying it for a person which would carry it to Hi Chi Minh.

-- The Nation 2012-05-09

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Thailand warned to adapt to 'post-Ayutthaya' Myanmar

BANGKOK: -- Thailand needs to wake up if it does not want to be left behind as Myanmar opens up to reform and broadens its engagement with the international community, a Chulalongkorn University seminar was told yesterday.

Full story:

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Xayaburi dam may have the Mekong boiling over

BANGKOK: -- The Mekong could become a river of conflict if countries, notably those in the lower basin, fail to find an effective mechanism to balance demand with the resources available.

Full story:

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Higher food prices expected at this time of year: Thai Finance Minister Kittiratt

BANGKOK: -- Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong says higher food prices are expected around this time of year, but it's still possible to afford a good meal. To prove his point, he had lunch yesterday in the Parliament dining room with Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit and three others.

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: Today, government offices like Immigration & state enterprises like the Post Office are closed. Banks open as normal.

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Cambodian couple held for trafficking

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police yesterday followed a 5-year-old boy dressed like a girl with long blonde hair to find a Cambodian couple, who they arrested on charges of human trafficking and illegal immigration.

Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD) police arrested Rom San, 50, and his wife Pad San, 36. Police say the couple kidnapped the 5-year-old stepson of Rom's 33-year-old ex-wife Angoun and brought him to Bangkok to beg.

After discovering the cross-dressing boy begging for money in front of Ramkhamhaeng University, AHTD police followed him home.

The two suspects admitted they had kidnapped the boy. They said they have been arrested 20 times for immigration violations over the past seven years, but were forced into the human-trafficking racket.

AHTD commander Pol Maj-General Chaowalit Sawaengpeuch said his agency would strictly suppress human trafficking, especially in tourist-frequented areas where there are children begging or selling flowers. Phuket will be the first target in the crackdown.

-- The Nation 2012-05-09

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2 out of three families are in debt: survey

BANGKOK: -- According to the Thai Family Studies Association, 10.5 million of 15 million Thai families it surveyed are in debt, while 1.2 million of them are unable to pay back.

Full story:

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Land ownership of prison guards checked

The Nation

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: -- Police in Nakhon Si Thammarat are monitoring the ownership and transfer of land plots owned by prison guards suspected of being bought with money from bribes paid by drug-dealing inmates.

Officials vow to seize any properties found to have been acquired with illegal money.

The land plots, mostly rubber plantations totalling 200 rai (32 hectares) and located in Surat Thani and Chumphon, are owned by guards working at the Nakhon Si Thammarat provincial prison, where a crackdown is underway.

Many of the plots have been sold hurriedly or have had their ownership transferred to others at short notice.

More than 300 mobile phones have been found in recent prison searches. Conversations have been extracted from 25 of them so far and police are asking service providers to assign new teams of technicians to assist with their investigations, said provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Ronnaphong Saikaew.

He said the Nakhon Si Thammarat prison had served as a network for more than half of the entire in-prison drug dealing across the country, and extracting details from the phones or SIM cards would provide information essential to the crackdown.

The officer also said members of the media covering the drug crackdown at the Nakhon Si Thammarat prison or elsewhere would be protected by police and those wanting extra protection could request it. He was responding to reporters' concerns after they were interviewed by Corrections Department officials at a news conference yesterday.

A deputy Corrections Department director-general, Kobkiat Kasiwiwat, paraded 11 prison guards suspected of helping with in-prison drug dealing at the news conference and interviewed members of the media covering the crackdown and recorded their profiles. The reporters later questioned why they were exposed to the guards and expressed worry over their safety after their identities were shown to the guards.

-- The Nation 2012-05-09

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EDUCATION

Teachers to be trained in advanced math, science

BANGKOK: -- Not only bright students but also teachers will be given training on the basic knowledge and content used in international academic Olympiad competitions.

Full story:

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4.2 magnitude quake hits Myanmar 174km from Mae Hong Son; heavy rain forecast for North, Northeast, East, South /TANN

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Phuket's poor turn out for annual alms festival

Phuket Gazette

More than 1,000 people, most from Phuket sea gypsy communities, turned up to receive donations of food. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

Kusoldharm Foundation President Benjawan Tamphanuwat (right) hands out food at the foundation headquarters this afternoon. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- More than 1,000 of Phuket’s poorest people were at the Kusoldharm Foundation headquarters in Phuket Town this afternoon to receive donations of food as part of the annual Te Krajard merit-making ceremony.

Full story:

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Thai Farmers Across Country Behold Royal Ploughing Ceremony

BANGKOK: -- Today is an auspicious day for Thai farmers across the country as the royal ploughing ceremony is being held at the Royal Plaza.

At 8 PM today, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn took part in this year's royal ploughing ceremony at the Royal Plaza amid a large attentive crowd.

During the ceremony, the ceremonial bulls are offered seven types of feeds.

The food chosen by the bulls are to be interpreted by brahmins as the prediction of how productive this year's farming will be, an event eagerly anticipated by Thai farmers across the country.

This ancient royal rite is being held to mark the traditional beginning of the rice farming season commencing yesterday afternoon at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and presided over by the crown prince on behalf of His Majesty the King.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-09

Sacred oxen choose grass in royal ploughing ceremony; adequate water, abundant food predicted for upcoming rice growing season /MCOT

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RT @RichardBarrow: Big fire near Wat Yuan Saphan Khao in Bangkok. See TL of @191Thailand for more pics. RT @mee_mark: http://bit.ly/L64Qn3

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,226.94, down 4.10 points /MCOT

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Phuket beach tout turf war targets Cambodians

A Phuket tourist gives a beach vendor’s pan flute a blow while catching some sun on Kata Beach. Photo: Nopparat Nambunyen

SPECIAL REPORT

A FURIOUS beach brawl between rival groups of migrant Thai and Cambodian beach peddlers in February has led Karon Municipality to draft regulations to register all peddlers and rid the sands of illegal alien workers. Phuket Gazette senior reporter Atchaa Khamlo reports.

Full story:

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Bangkok Tops Tourism Destinations in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- UK-based travel website “Daily Waffle” has listed top ten tourist attractions in Thailand, with Bangkok in the pole position.

Bangkok tops the list thanks to the mixture of diverse and exotic attractions, including modern shopping centers with western-style stores.

The Grand Palace came in second, followed by Phra Chetupon Vimolmangklaram Temple, butterfly and orchid farms, Chiang Mai province, floating markets, Samui Island, Phi Phi Island, Ayutthaya and Ayutthaya Elephant Palace.

The website has also praised Thailand for its beautiful scenery and fascinating cultures.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-09

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Red Shirts Mourn Passing of Lese Majeste Convict

BANGKOK: -- The red shirt group has organized activities to mourn the death of lese majeste convict, Ampol Tangnoppakul, also known as Uncle SMS.

Suda Rangkupan, a member of Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University, and about 100 red shirt supporters gathered in front of the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok yesterday evening, to mourn for the passing of Ampol Tangnoppakul, commonly known as “Uncle SMS ”, who was sentenced to 20 years for violating the lese majeste law.

Suda has also demanded an immediate release of all political prisoners, saying that some prisoners with medical conditions such as Somyot Pruksakasemsuk , another lese majeste convict, who is suffering from gout, do not belong in prison and most of them are merely pro-democracy activists.

The group also held a candle vigil to mourn for Ampol's death and protest against the court's injustice. Many of them also carried Uncle SMS portraits and signs.

Some of the red shirts also made speeches on speaker trucks and parked their cars in front of the court, causing severe traffic congestion in the area.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-09

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Karen Rebel Leader to Publicly Deny Involvement with Drug Trade

TAK: -- Karen rebel leader, Major General Na Kaw Muay, will be holding a press conference on May 10 to repudiate the accusation of his involvement in drug trade.

Major General Na Kaw Muay, the leader of a Karen rebel force known to be active along the Thai-Burmese border across Pob Phra District in Tak Province, has invited Thai and foreign media to attend a press conference at the force's headquarters on May 10.

The journalists are promised transportation from Kawkareik District.

Na Kaw Muay is planning to reveal all the truth behind drug trade in the region and deny his involvement in the process. His move comes after the Thai government has listed him as one of the most wanted drug suspects.

Meanwhile, the situation along the Thai-Burmese border in Tak's Mae Sot District has returned to normal. Cross border trade has resumed, after the area was temporarily closed down by the Burmese government.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-09

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Parents Flock to Pawnshops As New School Semester Nears

BANGKOK: -- As the new semester is approaching, parents are turning to pawnshops to trade valuables for money to pay for tuition fees and other expenses.

Chiang Mai Mayor Tasanai Buranupakorn has inspected pawn shops supervised by Chiang Mai Municipality, as the new school semester is approaching and many parents are trading in their belongings for money to pay tuiton fees for their children.

In Buriram Province, parents took valuables to trade for money to pay for tuition and other school expenses.

In Khon Kaen, the pawnshop at Khon Kaen municipality saw a continuous stream of customers.

Most of the belongings being traded in are gold ornaments, which the pawnshops are offering a high buying price of 19,000 baht per baht-weight.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-09

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Royal ploughing ceremony predicts abundant food, average water

BANGKOK, May 9 – Thailand's traditional soothsayers predicted an abundance of food production and an average supply of water during the coming rice growing season in the royal ploughing ceremony, marking the beginning of the planting season on Wednesday.

The ceremony, held at Sanam Luang ceremonial ground, was presided over by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The sacred oxen were presented with seven kinds of food -- rice, corn, green beans, sesame, fresh-cut grass, water, and rice whisky. This year, they chose to eat grass and the Brahmin seers accordingly said there would be abundance of food and average water.

Meanwhile, the Lord of the Plough, was offered three pieces of folded cloth of different lengths and he selected one of widest length. Based on his selection, less water is foreseen; there will be a plentiful yield in low-lying farming areas but some damage may be seen in highland rice paddies.

The royal ploughing ceremony is a Brahmanic rite, in which sacred oxen plough a furrow at the ceremonial ground of Sanam Luang.

Four consecrated ladies carry gold and silver baskets filled with rice seed, which they scatter into the newly-ploughed furrow. Walking alongside the plough are Brahmans who are chanting and blowing conch shells.

After the ceremony, the public is allowed to collect the rice seed as a symbol of good luck and abundance. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-05-09